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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

"You can't have it for free",aibu?

360 replies

imacccu · 02/12/2022 15:00

So I'm at Manchester for the Christmas markets.
Spent £20 on a Greek sharing box to eat for lunch.
I ask for two forks and she tells me they've ran out and to get them from the Brazilian stand opposite.
So off I go and say "can I have two of the plastic forks please as the Greek stand have ran out"

She says "no I'm not allowed as you didn't buy food here,you can't expect them for free"
I said okay il buy a drink
She said no only food
The cheapest thing was £10
So I sad no
Aibu to think she could of gave me a plastic fork
Is this what the worlds came too?
She had a huge and I mean huge tub of cutlery

So we had to eat with our hands which was near impossible as it was coated in sauces etc

OP posts:
thelobsterquadrille · 02/12/2022 19:53

ReedRite · 02/12/2022 19:38

<rests head in hands>

No, I’m not missing the point. I said in an earlier post that if running out of forks could be an issue they could have explained this in less than 10 seconds instead of giving a bald no.

Show quote history

But you don't know how many people the Greek stall had sent over there. Maybe OP was 20th person in the last 30 minutes and she was just sick of it. It may not be 5* customer service, but stall B don't owe anyone an explanation for their choices, whether it takes 10 seconds or 10 minutes.

I wouldn't even have asked if I was OP, I'd have asked for a refund as this entire scenario is the fault of Stall G for selling food that needs cutlery when they don't have any cutlery!

thelobsterquadrille · 02/12/2022 19:54

No, they don’t have to explain their stock issues to random non-customers. But it won’t cost them to do so and may well increase goodwill to their business.

But a stall like this isn't the kind of place that relies on repeat business, so they won't be interested in goodwill. They have a captive audience.

ReedRite · 02/12/2022 19:54

Cheesuswithallama · 02/12/2022 19:50

In case the greeks are readin. No excuse for no stock during lunch (evening could be understandable after busy day)

Maybe the people from the Greek food stall ran out of cutlery for the first time today and nipped down to Nisbets and were back with 3,000 0.00019p plastic forks 10 minutes after the OP bought her lunch?

I mean, we don’t know one way or their other, do we? Anymore than we know they are habitual CFs who regularly get their customers to ponce plastic forks from their competitors....

ReedRite · 02/12/2022 19:56

thelobsterquadrille · 02/12/2022 19:54

No, they don’t have to explain their stock issues to random non-customers. But it won’t cost them to do so and may well increase goodwill to their business.

But a stall like this isn't the kind of place that relies on repeat business, so they won't be interested in goodwill. They have a captive audience.

Exactly my point. They decided not to be kind because there was nothing in it for them. Classic meanness really.

HotChoxs · 02/12/2022 19:56

thelobsterquadrille · 02/12/2022 19:53

But you don't know how many people the Greek stall had sent over there. Maybe OP was 20th person in the last 30 minutes and she was just sick of it. It may not be 5* customer service, but stall B don't owe anyone an explanation for their choices, whether it takes 10 seconds or 10 minutes.

I wouldn't even have asked if I was OP, I'd have asked for a refund as this entire scenario is the fault of Stall G for selling food that needs cutlery when they don't have any cutlery!

Show quote history

If they had sent that many people over then they would have learned that:

"We don't have enough to give them out without food"

Is better than

"no I'm not allowed as you didn't buy food here,you can't expect them for free"

Cheesuswithallama · 02/12/2022 19:56

ReedRite · 02/12/2022 19:54

Maybe the people from the Greek food stall ran out of cutlery for the first time today and nipped down to Nisbets and were back with 3,000 0.00019p plastic forks 10 minutes after the OP bought her lunch?

I mean, we don’t know one way or their other, do we? Anymore than we know they are habitual CFs who regularly get their customers to ponce plastic forks from their competitors....

Show quote history

Well, then they should have explain the issue to the customers nicely and politely and maybe aak them to wait. Or is it just the other stall which is supposed to politely provide information?

abw94 · 02/12/2022 19:57

Did you go back to the Greek place and say they wouldn't give you any?

ReedRite · 02/12/2022 20:00

Cheesuswithallama · 02/12/2022 19:56

Well, then they should have explain the issue to the customers nicely and politely and maybe aak them to wait. Or is it just the other stall which is supposed to politely provide information?

Show quote history

Errrm, yes, I agree with you. It’s kind of my point as it’s really the parallel to my feeling that the Brazilian stall holders could have spared a 10 second nice no with an explanation.

I’m not under any illusion that the Greek food stall people behaved well. They shouldn’t have sold OP the food without warning her there was no cutlery and being sure she still wanted the food.

It’s not binary. They’re both at fault.

Cheesuswithallama · 02/12/2022 20:00

They are absolutely not both at fault

HotChoxs · 02/12/2022 20:06

Cheesuswithallama · 02/12/2022 20:00

They are absolutely not both at fault

Saying "you can't expect them for free" to someone who's been told to go there is unnecessarily rude.

You can't have it both ways, either there's a long line of people being sent over for forks and they're being rude to them all, or there's one or two gone over and they were petit enough not to give them out with a drink.

So yes they are both at fault.

Cheesuswithallama · 02/12/2022 20:07

Are you two the greeks?

HotChoxs · 02/12/2022 20:08

Are you the Brazilian?

Cheesuswithallama · 02/12/2022 20:09

No just someone who doesn't expect others to perfectly correct or handle my fuxk ups i throw at them obviously without a warning.

HotChoxs · 02/12/2022 20:10

Well I'm someone that doesn't expect people to be rude for no reason.

ReedRite · 02/12/2022 20:12

Cheesuswithallama · 02/12/2022 20:07

Are you two the greeks?

🤣 I reckon you’re the Brazilian, yes?

Or just tighter than a gnat’s chuff and never willing to give anyone the steam off your piss?

ReedRite · 02/12/2022 20:14

Cheesuswithallama · 02/12/2022 20:09

No just someone who doesn't expect others to perfectly correct or handle my fuxk ups i throw at them obviously without a warning.

It was only a plastic fork!!!

Should be no harm in asking. And no biggie to say ‘I’m so sorry, we can’t do that as we won’t have enough for our own customers’.

Flexible thinking is associated with good mental health, whereas rigidity very much isn’t.

HotChoxs · 02/12/2022 20:19

The trick with is to ask for a free meal before asking for a free fork so they can get some perspective on what's being asked of them 😅

ReedRite · 02/12/2022 20:22

HotChoxs · 02/12/2022 20:19

The trick with is to ask for a free meal before asking for a free fork so they can get some perspective on what's being asked of them 😅

🤣 Love this! Yes, they’d be so relieved the magnitude of the request had decreased so much they’d be delighted to only give the plastic fork!!

Who knew a plastic fork could be such a hot commodity?! Every day’s a school day on MN.

HotChoxs · 02/12/2022 20:22

If anyone's passing by this place do feel free to go over the Greeks to ask for the fork they were supposed to give with the meal, then go over and give it to the Brazillians because you know how much they value them 😎

Cheesuswithallama · 02/12/2022 20:39

I am absolutely gobsmack at the pisstaking here at the wrong party not the party in wrong.

Enjoy it, next year you might not have businesses to laugh at.

HotChoxs · 02/12/2022 20:41

We're only doing that because nobody defended the Greeks.

rwalker · 02/12/2022 20:43

A number of things
these are mobile catering units with only so much stock so if they start giving forks away what happens when they run out and don’t have enough for there own customers

the fact they wouldn’t sell her one my money’s in the pissed the Brazilians off with an entitled attitude it all about how you ask

for those who say it’s only a fork go and buy a coffee from greggs then go into costa and ask for a splash of milk in your greggs coffee let see how far you get with that

ReedRite · 02/12/2022 20:45

Cheesuswithallama · 02/12/2022 20:39

I am absolutely gobsmack at the pisstaking here at the wrong party not the party in wrong.

Enjoy it, next year you might not have businesses to laugh at.

I don’t think anyone’s going to go bust over a free plastic fork. Though not to say things aren’t extremely tough for lots of businesses and people at the moment. If this includes you and that’s why you’re so invested in this, then I genuinely hope things get better for you.

HotChoxs · 02/12/2022 20:48

rwalker · 02/12/2022 20:43

A number of things
these are mobile catering units with only so much stock so if they start giving forks away what happens when they run out and don’t have enough for there own customers

the fact they wouldn’t sell her one my money’s in the pissed the Brazilians off with an entitled attitude it all about how you ask

for those who say it’s only a fork go and buy a coffee from greggs then go into costa and ask for a splash of milk in your greggs coffee let see how far you get with that

The OP only went over there because the Greeks told her to get a fork from there.

Both you and these ridiculous Brazilians treat the OP like they just rocked up out of the blue and asked for one.

The OP even said why they were there.

There's no need to be rude to the OP.

ReedRite · 02/12/2022 20:48

rwalker · 02/12/2022 20:43

A number of things
these are mobile catering units with only so much stock so if they start giving forks away what happens when they run out and don’t have enough for there own customers

the fact they wouldn’t sell her one my money’s in the pissed the Brazilians off with an entitled attitude it all about how you ask

for those who say it’s only a fork go and buy a coffee from greggs then go into costa and ask for a splash of milk in your greggs coffee let see how far you get with that

We’ve covered this up thread 👆It’s not the same, though in my experience the chains are usually happy to give out the odd cup/napkin/straw etc, if you ask politely. As are many local independents.

I’ve never come across such abject stinginess as exhibited on this thread, but perhaps it’s a regional thing/area specific. I’m in quite an affluent area, maybe that’s playing a part.